Mesh Wi-Fi has been the latest talk in the consumer space this year, but enterprise-level organizations have been using mesh networks for years to extend their office space, secure their networks and easily connect near-range mobile employees in rural or mining operations. Though the limited budgets and reduced technology capabilities of smaller businesses in the past prevented SMBs from taking advantage of mesh-networking flexibility, recent increases in Internet speed have helped businesses of all sizes tap into the wide-ranging benefits that mesh offers. One of the biggest benefits SMBs are now experiencing with mesh is their newfound ability to drive business forward using IoT (Internet of Things) devices. What Is Mesh Networking? Mesh networking is a long-standing method of easily extending Wi-Fi range throughout an area, such as a large office or even an outdoor space, without having to manage multiple networks or a complex arrangement of integrated routers. Using a single Internet access point as a base signal, the mesh system boosts your Internet signal through well-placed “nodes” (signal repeaters) that can eliminate Internet dead zones in your offices. In the past, mesh networks were solely of interest to larger enterprises, as these companies were the only ones that could afford the ultra-high-speed connections mesh required. Though mesh networks do effectively extend an Internet signal, the signal strength ever-so-slightly reduces when it “hops” (extends) through a node; you can imagine how this was a serious problem with old, slow broadband connections. Fortunately, today’s Internet speeds for SMBs often reach […]

According to Gartner, more than half of major new business processes and systems will incorporate an IoT element by 2020, which helps explain why the current job boom is happening in IoT (Internet of Things). Unfortunately, even with the booming job market, it appears that there aren’t enough skills to go around; the Inmarsat Research Program reported earlier this year that 47% of companies don’t have necessary IoT skills to realize true business transformation. Fortunately for you, looks can be deceiving. In the area of IoT hires, the true problem isn’t that there aren’t enough skills to go around, it’s that companies often hire inefficiently because they don’t realize that IoT takes an entire team with a range of skillsets. Gartner also reports that three-quarters of IoT projects will drag out twice as long as they should – but that means that, with the right team, your company can become the one-quarter that easily pulls ahead of the competition. All you need to do is hire smart. Here are the most necessary skills for IoT in 2018. Data Security One of the issues of leveraging IoT is that the devices don’t tend to be tremendously secure. Last year’s DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack that shut down some of the Internet’s most popular sites including Amazon, Twitter, and Netflix was an unfortunate side effect of lax security policies for IoT devices. It’s a given that you don’t want hackers to control the functionality of any IoT devices you’ve created, including […]